Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2012 Global Indian
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PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS 2012 January 7-9, 2012 JAIPUR GLOBAL INDIAN – INCLUSIVE GROWTH MINISTRY OF OVERSEAS INDIAN AFFAIRS CONFEDERATION OF INDIAN INDUSTRY GOVERNMENT OF RAJASTHAN Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2012 January 7-9, 2012 Jaipur Global Indian – Inclusive Growth Theme Paper PREFACE During 2011, the world witnessed amazing revolutions where ordinary people gathered in hundreds of thousands to reiterate their basic freedoms and human rights. In some countries, these mass protests changed decades-old regimes; in others, they wrought significant changes. For the most part, the gatherings were determined to tread the path of peaceful and non-violent resistance, a path whose efficacy was so well demonstrated during India’s freedom struggle. The legacy of Mahatma Gandhi reverberated once more in the world, seventy-three years after his demise. Mahatma Gandhi’s tenets were forged during his long stay in colonial South Africa. It was when he returned to India that the force of his ideas found resonance and succeeded in wresting India’s Independence. Marking the return of Mahatma Gandhi to his home country, the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrates for the tenth consecutive year the remarkable contributions of Overseas Indians to the world. The convention is the annual flagship event of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry. With the Government of Rajasthan as partner for the forthcoming convention, it is being held in January 2012 at Jaipur. Since 2003, the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas has emerged as the focal platform of engagement between India and its children overseas. The PBD series of conventions reiterates each year the powerful bonds of ‘Indian-ness’ that continue to link Pravasis with their emotional homeland, while recognizing the myriad ways that Overseas Indians have integrated with and enriched their countries of citizenship or residence. Each year has succeeded in strengthening the areas of existing engagement as well as developing new ideas for future interaction. Each year, the inherent aspirations of Overseas Indians to re-connect with their ancestral land are given concrete shape through fresh initiatives. The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) is the key facilitator and enabler of the bilateral relationship. Arising from the felt need expressed in the first PBD convention in 2003, the Ministry of Non-Resident Indians’ Affairs was set up in May 2004 and renamed as Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs in September 2004 to meet the expectations of Pravasis. Its mandate gives expression to the diverse nature of Indian communities worldwide. Headed by a Minister of Cabinet rank, MOIA is positioned as a contemporary, lean and efficient ministry to act as ‘friend and guide’ to the 27 million Overseas Indians in all parts of the world. The Ministry has four functional service divisions, namely Diaspora Services, Financial Services, Emigration Services and Management Services. The first three cover different dimensions of the multi-faceted engagement of the Overseas Indian community with India, while the last one provides the internal administrative support. The Diaspora Services division is tasked with all matters pertaining to Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Non-Resident Indians (NRI), including organizing the PBD conventions, mini-PBDs in different parts of the world, and dissemination of information regarding educational institutions. Financial Services division aims to assist Overseas Indian investors and businesses in participating in the India growth story. The Emigration Services division consolidates all matters relating to employment of Indians in other countries, formulating policies to facilitate and empower workers and professionals traveling abroad. Additionally, the Protectorate General of Emigrants administers the Emigration Act 1983 and overseas the eight field offices of the Protectors of Emigrants in various Indian cities. Through the nine previous editions of the PBD convention, a multi-modal multi-platform architecture of policies and institutions has been structured to expand the limits of engagement of Pravasis with India. It has been recognized that the Overseas Indian community is in fact not a single entity, but a conglomerate of differentiated identities and experiences, each of which demands different approaches for engagement. Some of the institutional arrangements initiated by the MOIA include the Prime Minister’s Global Advisory Council of Overseas Indians, Overseas Indian Facilitation Center (OIFC), Global Indian Network of Knowledge (Global-INK), India Development Foundation for Overseas Indians, and PIO university. Initiatives that have given expression to the needs of the Overseas Indian include the seminal Overseas Citizenship of India card that affords a number of privileges to holders on par with facilities available to Indian citizens, barring a few; the Know India Program, a 3 week tour of India for OI students; the Scholarship Program for Diaspora Children, for financial assistance in Indian higher education institutes; Tracing the Roots; and legal and financial assistance to Indian women deserted by the Overseas Indian spouses. A number of initiatives have been taken for Indian workers overseas such as labour agreements with different countries, emigration helplines, community welfare funds, and others. The organizational partner for MOIA for the sixth consecutive year is the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), an independent not-for-profit non-governmental organization managed by industry. CII articulates the stance of Indian businesses in a partnership format to catalyse change and build competitiveness of the Indian economy. In existence since 1895, the institution represents the face of a contemporary and progressive national industrial entity, working with Government and with civil society for the development of the nation. Its membership includes over 8100 enterprises from private and public sectors, including small and medium enterprise and multi-national companies. About 90,000 companies are represented in CII through the membership of 400 national and regional associations for different industry sectors. CII has taken up the agenda of “Business for Livelihood” for the year 2011-12. This converges the fundamental themes of spreading growth to disadvantaged sections of society, building skills for meeting emerging economic compulsions, and fostering a climate of good governance. In line with this, CII is placing increased focus on Affirmative Action, Skills Development and Governance during the year. With 64 offices and 7 Centres of Excellence in India, and 7 overseas offices in Australia, China, France, Singapore, South Africa, UK, and USA, as well as institutional partnerships with 223 counterpart organisations in 90 countries, CII serves as a reference point for Indian industry and the international business community. The 10th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas carries forward the philosophy of engaging with the Global Indian through diversification of interaction in development issues and economic growth. In keeping with its principle of facilitating grass-roots engagement, the PBD would include Global Indians from different parts of the world, top representatives of state governments of India, and civil society and industry members. Recognising the changing facets of the Overseas Indian community as well as the overarching agenda of equitable development currently in force in India, PBD 2012 is themed ‘Global Indian – Inclusive Growth’. The highlights of the convention are: • 1500-plus delegates from over 50 countries • Chief Guest: Her Excellency Ms Kamla Persad Bisseswar, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago • Focus on Rajasthan • Distinguished guest speaker for PBD Oration series • Interaction with Chief Ministers of seven states • Special seminars on social entrepreneurship in water and solar energy • Sessions with key ministers on matters of interest to Overseas Indians • Five concurrent sessions • Cultural programs HIGHLIGHTS OF PBD 2011: • Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, inaugurated the PBD Convention on 8 January in New Delhi. • Her Excellency Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, President of India, presented the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2011 to 15 distinguished PIOs/NRIs, and delivered the Valedictory Address on 9 January. • Chief Guest: Sir Anand Satyanand, Governor General of New Zealand. • 2000+ delegates, including media, from over 50 countries across the globe. • Special focus: North Eastern States of India. • Prime Minister unveiled the foundation stone of Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, a research hub on and for Pravasis. • Prime Minister released the publication ‘Homeward Bound – A regulatory and investment handbook for Overseas Indians’. He also announced merger of Overseas Citizen of India and Person of Indian Origin cards into a single facility. • Pre-convention seminars in health and education; four plenary sessions; and four parallel sessions • ‘Prof. C.K. Prahalad Memorial Lecture’ by Prof. Gautam Ahuja, University of Michigan, USA. • Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre (OIFC) Market Place for focused business networking. • Cultural Programmes. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2012 January 7-9, 2012 Jaipur Global Indian – Inclusive Growth Theme Paper CONTENTS Introduction PBD Seminar Series Seminar on Social Entrepreneurship: Water Seminar on Solar Energy: Investment in R&D Inaugural Session Global Indian: Inclusive Growth – Next Generation Partnerships Plenary 1 Inclusive Growth: Two